Football coaches Heimir Hallgrímsson and Lars Lagerbäck introduced the UEFA EURO 2016 Icelandic national football team at a press conference today, according to RÚV. At the same meeting, it was announced that Lars would leave his position as coach of the team following the EURO 2016 championship, to be held in France June 10-July10. Lars told reporters the decision to leave had been extremely difficult: “I must have been born too early; I have to face the fact that I’m not getting any younger.”
Lars was asked whether he had considered a presidential bid in Iceland this summer, to which responded in the negative, saying that having him as president was not something he wished for the nation.
Players were notified by SMS today who would make the Icelandic national team and who would not.
Three players are fighting injuries at the moment. Gylfi Þór Sigurðsson and Aron Einar Gunnarsson should, according to Heimir, have recovered in time for the championship, but Kolbeinn Sigurðsson’s ability to recover in time remained uncertain.
The team members will be the following:
Goalies
Hannes Þór Halldórsson, Bodö – Glimt*
Ögmundur Kristinsson, Hammarby*
Ingvar Jónsson, Sandefjord*
Defenders
Birkir Már Sævarsson, Hammarby*
Ragnar Sigurðsson, Krasnodar*
Kári Árnason, Malmö*
Ari Freyr Skúlason, OB*
Haukur Heiðar Hauksson, AIK*
Hörður B. Magnússon, Cesena*
Sverrir Ingi Ingason, Lokeren*
Hjörtur Hermannsson, Gautaborg*
Midfielders
Aron Einar Gunnarsson, Cardiff*
Emil Hallfreðsson, Udinese*
Birkir Bjarnason, Basel*
Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson, Charlton*
Gylfi Þór Sigurðsson, Swansea*
Ólafur Ingi Skúlason, Genclerbirligi
Theódór Elmar Bjarnason, AGF*
Arnór Ingvi Traustason, Norrköping*
Rúnar Már Sigurjónsson, Sundsvall*
Forwards
Kolbeinn Sigþórsson, Nantes*
Alfreð Finnbogason, Augsburg*
Jón Daði Böðvarsson, Kaiserslautern*
Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen, Molde*
Among those who didn’t make the team are Rúrik Gíslason, Viðar Kjartansson, Ólafur Ingi Skúlason and Gunnleifur Gunnleifsson. They will make up the so-called stand-by group and will be called on in case of injuries. Changes to the team can be made until May 31, which is the deadline to turn in a list of players to the UEFA.
